Christina Aguilera dropped heavy hints about personal drama in a Redbook magazine interview conducted just weeks before her announced split from music producer husband, Jordan Bratman.

"Men aren't as strong and capable as we are," Aguilera, 29, says in the mag's December issue. "We're machines."

In the chat, the singer was effusive about son Max, 2, but vague and hesitant about Jordan, whom she married nearly five years ago. Alluding to emotional upheaval, she said she was eager to get back in the music studio and "pour my heart out and be able to release anything I'm going through."

(In divorce papers filed Oct. 14, Aguilera cited "irreconcilable differences" and said she and Bratman had been separated since early September.)

The "You Lost Me" singer also hinted to Redbook that she was feeling restless. "My life is cyclical," she said. "I'm not a nine-to-five woman who has the same kind of lifestyle for years on end. I couldn't do it. I need the spontaneity, that thrill of change. That's part of how I get inspired."

One big fan through thick and thin? Close pal and fellow mom Nicole Richie, who gushed to Redbook: "It's very clear through Christina's music what a strong woman she is ... But to watch her as a mother only skyrockets the respect I have for her. She is the woman who's recording until 4 a.m. and up at 7 a.m. to be with her son. Her dedication to Max is incredible."

After news of her breakup made headlines, Aguilera opened up some more to the mag, and thanked her close friends. "There have been a lot of tears and sadness," she said of her new single life. "It's impossible to redefine yourself and your life overnight. Thankfully, I have my mom and a small group of close friends who are there for me 24/7 and whom I can trust and depend on. On days when it feels impossible to even get out of bed, much less function as a mother, their support and encouragement have kept me moving forward."